Your class will be writing one or two paragraph(s) as a class group for the story (not one paragraph per student). The first class will write the intro paragraph(s). Then the next class will read the paragraph(s) and decide how they want to continue the story. This will continue until the last class on the list writes the ending and gives the story a title. Your paragraph(s) will be typed onto this Wiki page. You will add the 3 pictures to the wiki after your class writes your paragraph(s). The pictures should illustrate events in the section that your class wrote.
Teacher
Grade
School
Town (County)
Paragraph Start Date
Paragraph Completion Date
Mrs. McGrath
5
Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy
Elizabeth (Union)
March 14, 2016
March 15, 2016
Suzanne Falk
5
St. Cassian School
Upper Montclair (Essex)
Complete
Complete
Bethanne McNamara
5
Our Lady of the Lake School
Verona (Essex)
Complete
April 12, 2016
Madeline Cuffari
5
Our Lady of Czestochowa School
Jersey City (Hudson)
April 22, 2016
April 27, 2016 (working on pictures)
The Great Escape
It was midnight. You can hear the furry gray wolves howling like the wind at the full moon. In a tiny cabin on a giant plantation some were awaiting the call of the bird. We were listening to the mysterious whispers of the night. The only sounds we could hear were the rustling of leaves and our own heart beats. Was it time?
Carefully, silently, we waited. as broken glass shattered to the ground we wondered, did something happen? Gray thick clouds began to roll across the moon and darkness surrounded us. We heard the slight, faint song of the bird. We tip-toed across the room and out onto the path of darkened, haunting shadows. It was now time to begin our long dangerous journey. . .north.
I, Brianna, and my three best friends Alec, Ryan, and Sara are slaves on this plantation. Every morning we have to wake up early to run errands and plant crops like sugar. Life is very miserable because we get punished for everything and are treated unfairly. We all want freedom from horrible slavery.
Early this morning, I was sent into town to get some bread for my master and his family from Eli’s Homemade Bread.
“Hi, welcome. What kind of bread would you like?” the man named Eli asked.
“Rye bread please. I have to hurry back to work,” I explain.
“Okay, coming right up,” Eli said.
“Thank you,” I say.
As I took the bread, Eli leaned across the counter and whispered, “I see you’re a slave. I can help you escape if you want to. Here’s your bread. I’ll send you home with a message. Come back tomorrow with your reply.” I nodded and received my bread. I went home and read the message with Ryan. I can’t read, so Ryan had to help me. The note said,
If you want to escape, send me a letter. I am against slavery and I help people all the time. Let me know if you want to be free. Eli.
Ryan wrote the reply for me to give to Eli to tell him that we would like his help. The next morning, I was again sent for bread and I passed Ryan’s note to Eli. We exchanged notes with Eli for a few days. In the final note, Eli told us the plan. He gave us some directions to the treehouse where he would meet us. He told us he would hide us there for a couple of days before sending us onward to freedom.
For the plan to work, we would have to leave at midnight tonight. I went back to the plantation and told everyone what Eli said. We were scared but excited for the hope of freedom. We hoped we would soon meet up with Eli, for he was the one to make the sound of the bird that would signal he was ready for us. As we moved through the night, we saw the bright flashlight of the plantation watch guards so we hid in the trees. They soon passed us, but didn’t see us. We jumped down from the trees but there was one guard left. He was staring right at us. We sprinted past the guard and he almost grabbed Ryan. We saw that the gates had started to close so we ran faster. We had just made it when it closed right in front of the guards. Deep in the woods, we found space to build shelter. Our plan was to continue in the morning.
Early the next morning, we finally arrived at the tree house on the back of Eli’s property and he told us the next part of the plan:
“I will pack you in a crate which will go in a carriage,” Eli said. “The carriage will take you to the dock where a woman named Caroline Wilson will load you onto a ship. You will be in the ship for 5-10 days and then you will arrive in New York City. Once you get there, a man named John Reed will unload you.”
In the distance we heard the rumbling of a carriage. We knew this must be the one to take us to the ship. We felt a surge of excitement throughout our bodies. This was our long awaited chance for freedom. Eli told us to get into the crate. We squeezed ourselves in tightly. In the corner, were cloth sacks filled with fruits and vegetables. We knew we would have to ration the food to get us through the difficult journey. After the carriage had pulled up, two of Eli’s workers came out of the shadows and helped load the crate into the carriage. Within minutes we felt the swaying of the carriage and found it difficult to contain our excitement. The ride to the dock was bumpy and felt like an eternity but eventually we could hear the seagulls and smell the salty air. After the carriage had stopped, we heard a woman’s soft voice. This must be Caroline Wilson. She whispered to us and told us to be silent and not to make a sound. The next thing we knew, two burly sailors picked the crate up and hauled it up the gangplank. We were then unceremoniously deposited below deck.
It seemed like hours before the ship left port. We were lucky to have the first couple of days with smooth sailing. We kept ourselves occupied by playing cards that Sara had smuggled into her dress pocket. On the morning of the fifth day, we felt a sharp vibration. What was it? An iceberg, a shark, was the ship sinking?? Suddenly, the doors to the hull flung open. A rush of wind and rain came pouring down on us. We heard a man on deck yelling “storm ahead”. The ship began rocking violently from side to side. The crate was being jostled back and forth. It was hitting the hull of the ship with such force that we thought it was going to tear a hole through it. A feeling of despair came over us. Were we going to make it to freedom or die trying? Sara began to shake and cry. I knew that Ryan and Alec were trying to stay strong and not show how scared they were. Right when I could take it no more, the crate burst open. Slowly we climbed out trying not to step on the broken pieces of the other crates which had shattered.
We decided to climb the stairs to the top deck and take the chance of being caught or risk being crushed to death in the hull. It took all our strength to push open the door. The wind was so fierce and the sea was crashing over the side of the deck. Were we going to make it to New York and freedom or would we perish at sea?
We heard a loud crack. "What was that?" asked Ryan. Before any of us could respond the floor gave way below us. "Ahhhhh!", we all screamed. Sara was the first to speak up, "Where are we?" she asked as she pointed to a large desk. We walked over to it and saw maps, a compass rose, and a musket. Were we in the captain's cabin? We looked at each other and realized that this was our opportunity to escape.
Ryan noticed that one of the maps was of the thirteen colonies. He quickly folded it up and stuffed it into his shoe. Before Ryan could say anything we heard a loud crack followed by the crew members shouting Fire! Fire! and then, the clanging of keys near the door. "Oh, no! The captain must be coming", I said. "We need to hide!" whispered Alec. We noticed six barrels in the back corner. Unsure of what the contents were, we knew that we didn't have many choices or much time, so we decided to jump in anyway. As soon as I jumped in to my barrel I could tell it was half way filled with something, but I was able to crouch down so my head wasn't visible. Hopefully my friends were all the way in as well, I prayed. A crew member screamed and the captain was about to leave. He had one foot out of the door when Sara sneezed. We heard his foot steps on the creaking wooden planks, coming closer to the barrel. I could almost hear him breathing and I was scared he would hear my pounding heart. The situation upstairs must have gotten worse because as soon as he was about to discover us, a crew member shouted again, "Captain we need you! Hurry up!" He dashed up stairs, mumbling to himself that he will figure this out later.
Sara sighed of relief. As soon as the captain closed the door, leaving the situation of a mysterious sneeze unattended, Alec and Ryan talked to each other figuring what must be done to reach New York City safe and sound. I was observing the captain's cabin. There were not only a lot of maps, but there was also a picture of the captain when he was young with a man. It was probably his father. When I looked out of the window, I remembered something Pa told me before he passed away. He used to tell me stories about ships and how he would love to own one. He promised to take me on a trip everyday once he got one. Pa once mentioned that every ship has a safety raft hidden in the rudder of the ship. It is always helpful in time of emergencies. "Guys," I whispered. "With the help of the tools that are just lying on the table, we can jump out of the boat. We must then quickly pull out the screw from the rudder and take the safety raft out. We need to act quickly. Thankfully the rain has stopped now." "And also" Ryan interjected, "The captain and the crewmen found a shortcut that would help us reach freedom. I read it in the captain's journal. Instead of a five day journey left, we only have one to go. Freedom is near!" We all quickly said a prayer to ourselves and we were ready to fight for what we truly deserved. Ryan took out the map from his shoe and we all acted to my plan and unscrewed the door. The water was extremely wild and we all had to fight the waves. As I unscrewed the rudder, Alec and Ryan pulled out the boat. We managed to push ourselves onto the raft, but unfortunately the map got a little wet. We all were drenched but it really didn't matter. The crewmen would notice soon that there rudder was open. We all took the oars and paddled away as hard as we could.
A day and a half later, Alec said hoarsely, "I spot land!" It was a long, yet thrilling journey. We had lots of tension, worries, but most of all, we had each other. We all were really hungry, thirsty, and exhausted but the journey was worth it! I quickly said a little thank you prayer to God. Sarah, Alec, Ryan, and I have finally got what we deserved. As soon as our raft was docked carefully, Sara exclaimed, "Three cheers for FREEDOM! YAY!"
We finally got enough strength to try to hike to a nearby town. Before we started we heard a friendly voice say, "I am so happy you made it safely! You must be Brianna, Alec, Sara, and Ryan. I am John Reed, I have been waiting for you."
The Great Escape
It was midnight. You can hear the furry gray wolves howling like the wind at the full moon. In a tiny cabin on a giant plantation some were awaiting the call of the bird. We were listening to the mysterious whispers of the night. The only sounds we could hear were the rustling of leaves and our own heart beats. Was it time?
Carefully, silently, we waited. as broken glass shattered to the ground we wondered, did something happen? Gray thick clouds began to roll across the moon and darkness surrounded us. We heard the slight, faint song of the bird. We tip-toed across the room and out onto the path of darkened, haunting shadows. It was now time to begin our long dangerous journey. . .north.
I, Brianna, and my three best friends Alec, Ryan, and Sara are slaves on this plantation. Every morning we have to wake up early to run errands and plant crops like sugar. Life is very miserable because we get punished for everything and are treated unfairly. We all want freedom from horrible slavery.
Early this morning, I was sent into town to get some bread for my master and his family from Eli’s Homemade Bread.
“Hi, welcome. What kind of bread would you like?” the man named Eli asked.
“Rye bread please. I have to hurry back to work,” I explain.
“Okay, coming right up,” Eli said.
“Thank you,” I say.
As I took the bread, Eli leaned across the counter and whispered, “I see you’re a slave. I can help you escape if you want to. Here’s your bread. I’ll send you home with a message. Come back tomorrow with your reply.” I nodded and received my bread. I went home and read the message with Ryan. I can’t read, so Ryan had to help me. The note said,
If you want to escape, send me a letter. I am against slavery and I help people all the time. Let me know if you want to be free. Eli.
Ryan wrote the reply for me to give to Eli to tell him that we would like his help. The next morning, I was again sent for bread and I passed Ryan’s note to Eli. We exchanged notes with Eli for a few days. In the final note, Eli told us the plan. He gave us some directions to the treehouse where he would meet us. He told us he would hide us there for a couple of days before sending us onward to freedom.
For the plan to work, we would have to leave at midnight tonight. I went back to the plantation and told everyone what Eli said. We were scared but excited for the hope of freedom. We hoped we would soon meet up with Eli, for he was the one to make the sound of the bird that would signal he was ready for us. As we moved through the night, we saw the bright flashlight of the plantation watch guards so we hid in the trees. They soon passed us, but didn’t see us. We jumped down from the trees but there was one guard left. He was staring right at us. We sprinted past the guard and he almost grabbed Ryan. We saw that the gates had started to close so we ran faster. We had just made it when it closed right in front of the guards. Deep in the woods, we found space to build shelter. Our plan was to continue in the morning.
Early the next morning, we finally arrived at the tree house on the back of Eli’s property and he told us the next part of the plan:
“I will pack you in a crate which will go in a carriage,” Eli said. “The carriage will take you to the dock where a woman named Caroline Wilson will load you onto a ship. You will be in the ship for 5-10 days and then you will arrive in New York City. Once you get there, a man named John Reed will unload you.”
In the distance we heard the rumbling of a carriage. We knew this must be the one to take us to the ship. We felt a surge of excitement throughout our bodies. This was our long awaited chance for freedom. Eli told us to get into the crate. We squeezed ourselves in tightly. In the corner, were cloth sacks filled with fruits and vegetables. We knew we would have to ration the food to get us through the difficult journey. After the carriage had pulled up, two of Eli’s workers came out of the shadows and helped load the crate into the carriage. Within minutes we felt the swaying of the carriage and found it difficult to contain our excitement. The ride to the dock was bumpy and felt like an eternity but eventually we could hear the seagulls and smell the salty air. After the carriage had stopped, we heard a woman’s soft voice. This must be Caroline Wilson. She whispered to us and told us to be silent and not to make a sound. The next thing we knew, two burly sailors picked the crate up and hauled it up the gangplank. We were then unceremoniously deposited below deck.
It seemed like hours before the ship left port. We were lucky to have the first couple of days with smooth sailing. We kept ourselves occupied by playing cards that Sara had smuggled into her dress pocket. On the morning of the fifth day, we felt a sharp vibration. What was it? An iceberg, a shark, was the ship sinking?? Suddenly, the doors to the hull flung open. A rush of wind and rain came pouring down on us. We heard a man on deck yelling “storm ahead”. The ship began rocking violently from side to side. The crate was being jostled back and forth. It was hitting the hull of the ship with such force that we thought it was going to tear a hole through it. A feeling of despair came over us. Were we going to make it to freedom or die trying? Sara began to shake and cry. I knew that Ryan and Alec were trying to stay strong and not show how scared they were. Right when I could take it no more, the crate burst open. Slowly we climbed out trying not to step on the broken pieces of the other crates which had shattered.
We decided to climb the stairs to the top deck and take the chance of being caught or risk being crushed to death in the hull. It took all our strength to push open the door. The wind was so fierce and the sea was crashing over the side of the deck. Were we going to make it to New York and freedom or would we perish at sea?
We heard a loud crack. "What was that?" asked Ryan. Before any of us could respond the floor gave way below us. "Ahhhhh!", we all screamed. Sara was the first to speak up, "Where are we?" she asked as she pointed to a large desk. We walked over to it and saw maps, a compass rose, and a musket. Were we in the captain's cabin? We looked at each other and realized that this was our opportunity to escape.
Ryan noticed that one of the maps was of the thirteen colonies. He quickly folded it up and stuffed it into his shoe. Before Ryan could say anything we heard a loud crack followed by the crew members shouting Fire! Fire! and then, the clanging of keys near the door. "Oh, no! The captain must be coming", I said. "We need to hide!" whispered Alec. We noticed six barrels in the back corner. Unsure of what the contents were, we knew that we didn't have many choices or much time, so we decided to jump in anyway. As soon as I jumped in to my barrel I could tell it was half way filled with something, but I was able to crouch down so my head wasn't visible. Hopefully my friends were all the way in as well, I prayed. A crew member screamed and the captain was about to leave. He had one foot out of the door when Sara sneezed. We heard his foot steps on the creaking wooden planks, coming closer to the barrel. I could almost hear him breathing and I was scared he would hear my pounding heart. The situation upstairs must have gotten worse because as soon as he was about to discover us, a crew member shouted again, "Captain we need you! Hurry up!" He dashed up stairs, mumbling to himself that he will figure this out later.
Sara sighed of relief. As soon as the captain closed the door, leaving the situation of a mysterious sneeze unattended, Alec and Ryan talked to each other figuring what must be done to reach New York City safe and sound. I was observing the captain's cabin. There were not only a lot of maps, but there was also a picture of the captain when he was young with a man. It was probably his father. When I looked out of the window, I remembered something Pa told me before he passed away. He used to tell me stories about ships and how he would love to own one. He promised to take me on a trip everyday once he got one. Pa once mentioned that every ship has a safety raft hidden in the rudder of the ship. It is always helpful in time of emergencies. "Guys," I whispered. "With the help of the tools that are just lying on the table, we can jump out of the boat. We must then quickly pull out the screw from the rudder and take the safety raft out. We need to act quickly. Thankfully the rain has stopped now." "And also" Ryan interjected, "The captain and the crewmen found a shortcut that would help us reach freedom. I read it in the captain's journal. Instead of a five day journey left, we only have one to go. Freedom is near!" We all quickly said a prayer to ourselves and we were ready to fight for what we truly deserved. Ryan took out the map from his shoe and we all acted to my plan and unscrewed the door. The water was extremely wild and we all had to fight the waves. As I unscrewed the rudder, Alec and Ryan pulled out the boat. We managed to push ourselves onto the raft, but unfortunately the map got a little wet. We all were drenched but it really didn't matter. The crewmen would notice soon that there rudder was open. We all took the oars and paddled away as hard as we could.
A day and a half later, Alec said hoarsely, "I spot land!" It was a long, yet thrilling journey. We had lots of tension, worries, but most of all, we had each other. We all were really hungry, thirsty, and exhausted but the journey was worth it! I quickly said a little thank you prayer to God. Sarah, Alec, Ryan, and I have finally got what we deserved. As soon as our raft was docked carefully, Sara exclaimed, "Three cheers for FREEDOM! YAY!"
We finally got enough strength to try to hike to a nearby town. Before we started we heard a friendly voice say, "I am so happy you made it safely! You must be Brianna, Alec, Sara, and Ryan. I am John Reed, I have been waiting for you."